Journal box lid



A. O. BUCKIUS JOURNAL BOX LID Jan. 20, 1953 Filed March 11, 1949 INVENTOR.

ALBERT CKIUS ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 20, 1953 JOURNAL BOX LID Albert 0. Buckius, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to National Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 11, 1949, Serial No. 80,925

This improvement relates to railway journal boxes and more particularly to a lid for closing the opening in the front end of the journal box.

Related subject matter is disclosed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 45,125, filed August 19, 1948. is disclosed a journal box lid comprising a closure member and a hood member having a ball and socket connection therebetween, the members being loosely but securely tied together at the connection for limited relative movement by means of a strap which is secured to the closure member. The strap bridges the ball and socket connection and is received in a channel shaped portion of the hood member positioned on the vertical center line of the lid. The strap is normally out of contact with the sides or bottom of the channel portion to allow limited relative angling between the members. This arrangement for limiting relative movement between the members is very satisfactory so long as the strap is properly positioned on the vertical center line of the closure member before being secured thereto. However, in the event the strap is improperly secured to the closure memher so that it does not lie on the vertical center line thereof, angling of the closure member in the direction of its plane may be so restricted as to make it impossible to adjust this member properly on the face of the box opening to assure a tight seal.

The present improvement consists in the provision of stop means in the aforementioned lid, which independently of the strap serve to limit the relative angling between the hood member and closure member in the plane of the latter. This limiting of the relative angling between the members is particularly important during opening and closing of the lid in service, as it assures that the closure member will at all times be in proper position to seal the box opening whenever the lid is swung closed. The strap is formed narrower than formerly so that the stop means will be effective to limit angling of the closure member before the strap contacts the sides of the channel in the hood member. Accordingly, it is the main object of my invention to provide in a journal box lid of the type disclosed in my above mentioned application stop means for limiting relative movement between the hood member and closure member thereof in the plane of the closure member.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

7 Claims. (Cl. 308-47) In that application there I Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a lid e; bodying the invention applied to a journal box, a portion of the hood member being shown broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is partial sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1. l

Referring to the drawings there is shown a journal box In having a front opening 12 for access to the inside of the box. The lid for closing opening 12 is connected to the conventional hinge lug l4 by means of a horizontal pivot pin 16. The lid comprises a hood member I8 and a cover or closure member 20 which engages the face 2| about opening l2. Hood member 18 comprises a chambered portion 22 having a pair of apertured ears 24 which receive hinge pin I6.

Extending downwardly from chambered portion 22 are spaced legs 26 which are connected at their lower ends by a web 28 which is formed with a ball portion 30. Closure member 20 is generally in the shape of a flat rectangular plate and has a centrally disposed spherical depression 32 for receiving ball portion 30. This arrangement permits universal movement of closure member Zll relative to the hood so that the closure member is permitted to adjust itself to the face-2| of the box. Hood [8 and closure member 2!! are loosely but securely tied together at the ball and socket connection by means of a strap 34 which is suitably secured to the closure member. It will be observed that strap 34 bridges ball portion 30 and web 28. A substantial clearance as at 36 is provided between the sides of strap. 34 and the adjacent walls 38 of the hood. It will also be noted that walls 38 in conjunction with web 28 form a channel shaped recess in the hood for receiving strap 34. Web 28 is spaced from and extends parallel to closure member 20, while strap 34 is so formed that a clearance exists between portion 40 thereof and web 28.

A torsion spring 42 carried in the chambered portion 22 of the hood provides the closing force against the lid. The spring has a loop portion 44 on which is mounted a roller 46 which travels on surfaces 48 and 50 of the hinge lug during opening and closing of the lid. Bearing against the arcuate portions 52 of the hood are coil portions 54 of the spring. The outer ends of coil portions 54 terminate in legs 56 which extend through openings 58 in the hood and bear against legs 26 thereof. The closing force of thespring acts through legs 5'6 thereof directly to the hood and thence is applied to the closure member solely through ball portion 3|]. Thus the closing force of the spring is applied to the center of the closure member through the ball and socket connection which permits the closure member to adjust itself against the face of the box with substantially equal pressure on the contacting surfaces.

Extending inwardly of the journal box from legs 26 of hood l8 are a pair of stop lugs 6!! disposed on either side of ball portion 3!). Lugs 60 are preferably positioned ad acent the side edges of the hood and substantially in line with ball portion 30. Closure member is provided with depressions or pockets 62 for "receiving lugs 60. Each pocket 62 is formed on its upper side with an abutment wall 64 spaced'fr'om but adapted to be engaged by the upper surface 55 of lug Ell when closure member 20 is angled with respect :tohoodl-Binthe plane ofmember 20. Thus .lugs -60 and abutment walls E l in conjunction with the ball and socket joint serve to limit angling of the closure member in the direction of its ipla-ne and therefore during opening and closing of the lid as in service the closure member will at'all times be maintained in proper position to assure full surface contact with face 2! of the box opening. Also, in service during travel of the car the lugs will serve to limit angling of the closure :member relative to face 2!. The :-previously mentionedclearance 36 between strap 34 and walls 38 of the hood is large enough so that the-strap does not contact these 'walls during the above mentioned angling of the closure member. It will beunderstood that either one of lugs 60 will contact wall -64, depending on the direction in which the closure member is angled. Bottom wall .68 and sidewalls H! of pocket 62 "arepreferably :positioned so as to extend away from lug do 'so that the latter will not engage these wallsduringanglin'g of the'closure member.

' nngling'of the closure member in all-directions other thanin theiplane 'of the member is limited ldythe engagement of strap 34 with web 28 of the ho'od.

While in the embodiment illustrated stop lugs lidar'e shown as being formed on'the hood mem- :ber, the's'e lugs may be formed on the closure member, in which case the pockets for receiving tli'e dogs will be in the hood member. The lugs and pockets as thus arranged will function to limit the aforesaid relative angling between the ho'o'd an'd closure member the same manner in the'emb'odi'mnt herein illustrated.

Th"eterms and expressions which I have :em- Jployedareused as'te'rms of description Tandnot "of limitation, and'I' have no intention, in the use of such terms ahclexpres'sions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown anddescribed or :portions "thereof, but recognize that various modifications a're'possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

ilkIn a lid for closing the front opening of a r'ailway"journal'box,-said lid comprising a closure .ine'mber and 'ahood member flexibly connected togetherby means of a ball and socket joint to enable universal movement of said closure member withrespect to said hood member, inwardly extending projections on said hood member spaced' laterally "from'said joint, and abutment means on said closure member normally spaced from said projections, said projections having .iplane top surfaces extending substantially at right angles to the plane of said closure member and being adapted for engagement with said means to limit angling of said closure member relative to said hood member in the plane of said closure member.

2. In a lid for closing the front opening of a railway journal box, said lid comprising a closure member and a hood member flexibly connected together by means of a ball and socket joint to enable universal movement of said closure member with respect to said hood member, a pair of transversely spaced inwardly extending lugs on saidhood membensaid lugs being spaced laterally of and on opposite sides of said ball and socket joint, and a pair of inwardly extending pockets on said closure member for receiving said lugs, said pockets having top, bottom and side walls, said lugs having top surfaces adapted to engage the top wallsof said pockets to limit pivotal movement of said closure member about said joint in the direction of the plane of said closure member.

3. In a journal box lid a hood member for pivotal attachment to the hinge lug 'of a journal box, a closure member adapted topivot with said hood member, a ball and socket joint connecting said members to enable universal movement of said closure member relative to said hood member, ap'air of stop lugs on said hood member extending toward said closure'member, said lugs being spaced transversely of and on opposite sides of said joint said lugs havingplane-upper surfaces "extending substantially at right angles to said closure member, and 'abutments on said closure mem'beriadapt'edto engage said surfaces to limit rotation of said closure member about said joint in the plane of said'closure member.

4. Aj'ournal box lid comprising a hood member and a closure member,.said members having a ball and socket joint therebetween .to enable pivotal movement of said closure member relative to said hood'member, said hood having'a pair of lugs positioned on opposite sides of said joint and substantially in horizontal alignment therewith, said closure member having a pair .of

pockets for receiving said lugs, said pockets being spaced laterally of and on .opposite sides of said joint andhaving top, bottom, andside walls, said top walls being spaced from and adapted to engage said lugs to limit pivotal movement of said closure member about said joint in thelplane of said closure member.

.5. A lid for closing the .front opening of a railway journal box, said lid comprising a hood member and a closure member having a ball and socket connection therebetween to permituniversal movement of said closure member relative "to said hood member, said hood having a channelportion adj acent said connection, a strap extending into and bridging said channel portion and being secured to said closure member, said strap being spaced from the sides of said channel to allow .angling of said closure member about said connection in the direction of the plane of said closure member, and means for limiting said angling of said closure member, said means comprising a pair of lugs on said hood member positioned on opposite sides of said connection and pockets in said closure member for receiving said lugs, said pockets having top, bottom and side walls, said lugs being adapted to engage the top walls of said pockets to limit said angling of said closure member in the direction of its plane.

.A lid for closing the front opening of a railway journal boxysaid lid comprising a hood member and a closure member flexibly connected to said hood member, said hood member bein pivotally connected at its upper end to said box and having a ball portion facing said closure member, said closure member having a socket for receiving said ball portion to permit universal movement of said closure member relative to said hood member, a strap bridging said ball portion and being secured to said closure member, and means for limiting pivotal movement of said closure member relative to said hood member in the direction of its plane, said means comprising a projection on one of said members spaced laterally of said socket and a pocket in the other of said members for receiving said projection, said pocket having top, bottom and side walls, said projection being normally spaced from said walls and being adapted to engage said top wall of said pocket to limit said pivotal movement of said closure member.

'7. A lid for closing the front opening of a railway journal box, said lid comprising a hood member pivotally connected to said box, a closure member flexibly connected to said hood member by means of a ball and socket connect 6 tion to permit universal movement of said closure member relative to said hood member, said hood member having an inwardly extending stop lug spaced laterally of one side of said connection adapted to engage an abutment on said closure member to limit angling of said closure member about said connection in one direction in the plane of said closure member, said hood having another inwardly extending stop lug spaced laterally of the other side of said connection adapted to engage an abutment on said closure member to limit angling of said closure member in the plane of the latter about said connection in the opposite direction.

ALBERT O. BUCKIUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,029,521 Couch Feb. 4, 1936 2,258,584 Couch Oct. 14, 1941 

